It's been a while since we shook the squid, the summer getting the best of me as I strive to keep new releases flowing and balancing my staff and my own vacations. Meanwhile music keeps on coming in as Squidco prepares for a busy fall. Consequently there are few varied topics in this edition of Shaking The Squid to catch up on.
This summer has been unusually busy with new releases, and a few labels stand out with exceptional new releases. Here are some of the most impressive, sorted so that the newest titles are shown first:
Confront, including titles with John Butcher, Ferran Fages, Damon Smith & Sandy Ewen, Bertrand Denzler, and IST with John Zorn
Clean Feed, introducing 7 new titles including release by or with Daniel Levin, Evan Parker, Nate Wooley, Nick Fraser, Jason Roebke, and Frantz Loriot
Astral Spirits, with 6 new cassettes including Mike Majkowski, Rob Mazurek, Wally Shoup, and Jim Sauter with Kid Millions; Astral Spirits will release their first vinyl albums this fall!
Improvising Beings, we introduce the French label Improvising Beings, with releases from Benjamin Duboc, Axel Dorner, Sharon Sharrok, and Sonny Simmons phenomenal 8-CD set Leaving Knowledge, Wisdom and Brilliance / Chasing The Bird?
Magaibutsu, with 2 new releases, the PYN- and an amazing new Korekyojinn album!
OutNow Recordings, as we catch up on recent releases by adding 7 titles including Yonk Kretzmer, Gordon Beeferman Trio, Daniel Levin and Ido Bukelman!
Mikroton, with two new titles, especially SQID, a startling album of live improv using field recordings, and a CD by Simon James Phillips with The Neck's Tony Buck on drums!
RogueArt, with two impressive titles, The Turbine! with Harrison Bankhead, Ben Duboc, Hamid Drake and Ramon Lopez; and the second album of Matthew Shipp Quartet Declared Enemy!
This week we're running a sale for all titles on the Libra label. Here's what I wrote for the lead on that sale:
Japanese pianist Satoko Fujii and trumpeter Natsuki Tamura run the Libra Records label, which for more than two decades has released their work in collaboration with a remarkable list of improvisers from around the world. From solo to large ensemble configurations, their music runs the gamut from active improvisation to beautifully lyrical work, with keys ensembles including Satoko Fujii Quartet, Gato Libre, Satoko Fujii New York Orchestra, Natsuki Tamura Quartet, Kaze, Satoko Fujii Trio, Junk Box, Satoko Fujii Orchestra Berlin, and Satoko Fujii Orchestra Tokyo. Below are a few recent selections from more than 30 titles we currently carry on the Libra label.
The Libra sale is the first of our label sales for the rest of the summer and into the autumn. Each week we'll offer a sale from one our core labels, those that we purchase directly and not from a secondary distributor, and which are labels actively releasing new titles. The sales will be in alphabetic order going forward, and will feature one of more labels in the alphabet set. Each will offer the same discounts: buy any title from the label listed, take 20% off its title; buy 3 or more titles from that label and take 30% off their title.
We run these sales to give our customers an opportunity to check out a label that they might have interest in, but that they may not be completely familiar with. In other words, it's an opportunity to take a chance on a new artist or group at a nice discount. On August 13 we'll start with the letter "A", including Ambiances Magnetiques, our first core label from 12 years ago and still releasing amazing new music to this day, through Ayler Records, the great French free jazz label.
I just returned from a trip to New York City, my first time back in three years. The city was as exciting, dirty, hot, culturally rich, shocking, frustrating and convenient as ever; after 18 years living there it's easy to step back into the pulse and enjoy it, albeit with the understanding that it's just temporary this time. Most of my trip was taken up with friends, but I did manage to catch two shows in the 5 nights I was there.
The first was expected to provide an amazing night of improv, and it did not disappoint: the trio of Gerry Hemingway, Anthony Coleman and Marty Ehrlich at The Stone, part of Gerry Hemingway's week curating the venue. I'm happy to report that The Stone has installed a new air conditioning system that provides continuous cooling without making obtrusive noise. It was reported to me but unconfirmed that Ned Rothenberg played a part in the new AC; kudos to all involved, hot improv itself should make you sweat, and not the stale air around you.
To the music, hearing three masterful players was a highlight of the trip. Hemingway is a potent timekeeper, inventive and actively listening and supporting the other players. Coleman brings an intellectual aspect to the playing while keeping it rootsy, his ability to compose quickly in his head was evident and fascinating. Ehrlich, a personal favorite reedist, was thrilling on clarinet, sax, and bass clarinet, playing free while never letting the listener forget that the music was jazz-based through extended lyrical progressions. We left with broad smiles.
See all tiles on Gerry Hemingway's Auricle label @ Squidco
That trio was the second show of the trip, the first being a birthday present that I requested tickets to: Joey Arias Experiments with double bassist Ben Allison and unannounced guests. The show was part of a series of Monday nights at Pangea restaurant on 2nd Ave, and the guest that night was guitarist Brandon Seabrook.
Joey Arias is a NY character, on the scene since the 70s, performing on Saturday Night live with David Bowie and Klaus Nomi, releasing a couple of pop records of covers; her career has continuously ascended, and has included an 1 woman show with large scale puppeteer Basil Twist, Mistress of Seduction in Cirque du Soleil's Zumanity, and her incredible A Centennial Tribute to Billie Holiday.
I couldn't have been more pleased to see her paired with two artists who hold place in Squidco's catalog, and once again the show did not disappoint. In speaking with Seabrook after the show, the 3 have been collaborating for at least 4 years, but without recordings, it's one of New York's secrets. The rapport between Seabrook and Arias was both exciting and humorous, Arias mimicking Seabrook's guitar or floating over the unusual array of sounds he developed, while Seabrook often uesed a cassette player over his strings to evoke other-worldly sonic environments. Allison was rock solid, providing innovative support to an experimental approach to a set of songs that included Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Animals, and of course, Billie Holiday. I associate Arias with the remarkably talented drag world of NYC, but I would never connected her work with the Downtown NY scene, so it was a wonderful and gratifying birthday present to have two worlds that I admire so much come together.
See releases with Brandon Seabrook @ Squidco
Squid Tech
You may have noticed that our main categories got a refresh over the last week. The triple-bubble layouts were not working out the way we'd hoped, making listings of releases a bit awkward. The truth is, you could see more releases on a single page than before, but somehow the layout had the appearance of showing less, and in a less organized way. So we took the best of those layouts and made them rounded rectangles, and then implemented them across the board for all categories. Previously we had 3 layouts for varying categories types, now we have one unified layout. We'll continue to work on improving those listings to make them as compact and useful as possible.
Another important update that we've been working on is improving the accuracy of inventory messages. For years, after every order cycle we upload the latest inventory information to our website. We did that because older versions of our shopping cart wouldn't let us replace inventory values with accurate numbers, they would only let us add or subtract inventory to a product, which could easily lead to inaccurate inventory numbers for any item. It's also possible that a product could sell out in Amazon or Discogs without being reflected our website, and adding or subtracting inventory for an individual product could again lead to inaccurate numbers. The downside is that we might have indicated that a product was in stock even if all the copies we had were sold out before the next inventory upload. Confusing, huh?
All that has changed with the new version of our shopping cart, and we can now easily inform it of accurate inventory quantities, and we can have the shopping cart tell you if an item is sold out. So if we had 2 copies of a product and both of them sold, the shopping cart will now let you know that the product is currently out of stock. It's still possible that a sale in Amazon or Discogs could take an item out of stock that won't be updated until our next load, but the accuracy of our stock notices will be better the before. And hopefully that helps our customers avoid the frustration of ordering something we no longer have.
A quick comment on Discogs and Amazon: both of these marketplaces take a percentage of our sale, Amazon coming in at a whopping 14%, and Discogs at 8% plus another 3-4% for PayPal. If you see a product on either site that you think you want, we'd really appreciate your ordering it directly from us. Those who read newsletters probably read a competitor's cry for help this last week. Selling physical media is tough, the Euro/Greek crisis has made it difficult to sell in Europe, predatory practices by vendors in marketplaces, they all add up to a rough selling environment. We're up for the fight, but we'd like you to know that we appreciate direct sales the most, and they make you eligible for our Reward Program and Friends of Squid Sales. We also hope that our store is easier to navigate, and more informative than other sites.
Upcoming Releases
Upcoming releases we expect in the short term, including new . You can request on our Upcoming Releases page to have us email you when each of the following titles is in stock. There's no obligation to purchase a title, we simply let you know when its in stock.
SUN RA & HIS MYTH SCIENCE ARKESTRA: The Paris Tapes: Live at le Theatre du Chaelet 1971 [VINYL] KS Art Yard Series (KSAY 006N-LP)
DEREK BAILEY / PAT THOMAS / STEVE NOBLE: ANDRectangle (REC S2-CD)
PHIL MINTON / LOL COXHILL / NOEL AKCHOTE: My ChelseaRectangle (REC MCA-CD)
ELEPHANT9 WITH REINE FISKE: Silver MountainRune Grammofon (RCD 2174CD)
ELEPHANT9 WITH REINE FISKE: Silver Mountain [VINYL 2 LPs] Rune Grammofon (RCD 3174LP)
ESPEN ERIKSEN TRIO: Never Ending JanuaryRune Grammofon (RCD 2173CD)
ESPEN ERIKSEN TRIO: Never Ending January [VINYL] Rune Grammofon (RCD 3173LP)
SUN RA: Monorails and Satellites [VINYL] Saturn (SATURN 509HLP)
MAX EASTLEY / DEREK BAILEY / COUM / FEMINIST IMPROVISING GROUP: Another Evening at Logos 1974/79/81 [VINYL 2 LPs] Sub Rosa (SUBLOGOS 001LP)
Jean-Luc Guionnet / Thomas Bonvalet: Loges de souffleBecause Tomorrow Comes ()
Cactus Truck: Are you FREEBeCoq ()
Cecil Taylor: Garden, 2nd SetHatology (hatOLOGY 720)
Claudio Sanna: AmmentosHatology (hatOLOGY 729)
Uwe Oberg: WorkHatology (hatOLOGY 740)
IVO PERELMAN - MAT MANERI - JOE MORRIS: COUNTERPOINTLeo (LEO 730)
IVO PERELMAN - MATTHEW SHIPP: CALLAS [2 CDs] Leo (LEO 728)
IVO PERELMAN - WHIT DICKEY: TENORHOODLeo (LEO 714)
Liberty Ellman Sextet: RadiatePi Recordings (Pi60)
Bret Higgins' Atlas Revolt Tzadik (TZA-CD-7813)
John Zorn: Forro Zinho - Forro In The Dark Plays ZornTzadik (TZA-CD-8334)
Haino Doubtmusic ()
David Sylvian (with Jan Bang, Otomo Yoshihide, Toshimaru Nakamura): Playing The Schoolhouse [3" CD] Confront (confront editions ep 01)
Anthony Pateras / Erkki Veltheim: Entertainment Is ControlImmediata (IMM003)
Thmolphthalein : Mad Among The MadImmediata (IMM002)
Paulo Mesquita & Pedro Oliveira: OZOShhpuma (SHH 017)
James Saunders: assigned #15Another Timbre (at88)
Jurg Frey: Grizzana and other pieces 2009-2014Another Timbre (at86x2)
Magnus Granberg: How Deep is the Ocean, How High is the Sky?Another Timbre (at87)
Phil: Minton A Doughnut's End [VINYL] Fataka (11)
DARIUS JONES QUARTET FEAT. EMILIE LESBROS: Le bébé de Brigitte (Lost in Translation)Aum Fidelity (AUM 095CD)
WILLIAM: PARKER For Those Who Are, Still [3 CD BOX] Aum Fidelity (AUM 092-94CD)
SHIT AND SHINE: Everybody's a Fuckin ExpertEditions Mego (EMEGO 212CD)
SHIT AND SHINE: Everybody's a Fuckin Expert [VINYL 2 LPs] Editions Mego (EMEGO 212LP)
Phil Minton: A Doughnut's End [VINYL w/ Download code] Fataka ()
LAST EXIT: Iron Path [VINYL] ESP (ESPDISK 4075LTD)
Henry Kaiser / Damon Smith / Weasel Walter: Plane Crash 2New Atlantis (NA-CD-024)
Jeff Kowalkowski Trio (with Harrison Bankhed, Avreaayl Ra) New Atlantis (NA-CD-026)
Stern: Bone TurquoiseNew Atlantis (NA-LP-010)
JOELLE: LEANDRE Dire du DireRectangle (REC ELLE2)
The: Ex The Ex at The Bimhuis (1991-2015) [2 CDs] Ex Records (ex143)
Seijiro Murayama/Jean-Luc Guionnet: Mishima, Day & NightFtarri (ftarri-990)
Chris Dingman: The Subliminal and the SublimeInner Artist ()
Chris Pitsiokos Trio (Pitsiokos / Max Johnson / Shea): Gordian TwineNew Atlantis (NA-CD-023)
Elliott Sharp + Scott Fields: Akra KampojNew Atlantis (NA-CD-022 CD)
Invisible Things: Time AS One Axis [VINYL] New Atlantis (NA-LP-008)
Clara Iannotta : A Failed Entertainment. Works 2009-2014Edition Rz (DAAD ed. RZ 10023 (parallele 23) )
Restocked Releases
The following came back in stock over the last few weeks, including titles on hatOLOGY, Umlaut, Matchless, Doubtmusic, Magaibutsu, RogueArt, Pi Recordings, Tzadik, &c. &c. Here's the full list:
Steve: Lacy Shots (Hatology)
Ensemble Fur Neue Musik Zurich: Women Composers (Hat [now] ART)
Joe: Morris Perpetual Frontier The Properties of Free Music [BOOK] (Riti Publishing)
Sonny: Simmons Leaving Knowledge, Wisdom and Brilliance / Chasing The Bird? [8 CD BOX] (Improvising Beings)
Last Exit: Iron Path (ESP)
Otomo Yoshihide / Sachiko M / Evan Parker / John Edwards / Tony Marsh / John Butcher: Quintet/Sextet/Duos (Otoroku)
Schlippenbach Trio: First Recordings (Trost Records)
Akira Sakata / Johan Berthling / Paal Nilssen-Love: Arashi (Trost Records)
Officer!: Dead Unique (Blackest Ever Black)
Joshua: Abrams Magnetoception [VINYL] (Eremite)
Keiji Haino / Jim O'Rourke / Oren Ambarchi: Only Wanting to Melt Beautifully Away Is It a Lack of Contentment That Stirs Affection for Those Things Said to Be as of Yet Unseen (Black Truffle)
Norstebo / Strid / De Heney: Oslo Wien [2 CDs] (VA FONGOOL)
Various Artists: Traces Three [VINYL] (Recollection GRM)
Ghost Rhythms: Madeleine [2 CDs] (LEM)
Nordstrom / Johansson / Schlippenbach: Stockholm Connection [3 CDs] (Umlaut Records)
Peeping Tom (Dorner / Badaroux / Grip / Gerbal): Boperation (Umlaut Records)
Altered States: Bluffs II (Doubtmusic)
Ino / Imai / Dorner / Tanaka: Rostbestandige Zeit [2 CDs] (Doubtmusic)
Otomo Yoshihide : Guitar Solo 2015 LEFT (Doubtmusic)
Jeb Bishop / Jason Roebke / Harris Eisenstadt: Tiebreaker (Not Two Records)
Rutherford / Muller / Eisenstadt: The Zone (Konnex)
Convergence Quartet, The: Live In Oxford (FMR)
John: Tilbury Plays Samuel Beckett (Matchless)
AMM: Two London Concerts (Matchless)
Schlippenbach / Parker / Edwards / Prevost: 3 Nights at Cafe Oto (Matchless)
John O'Gallagher Trio: Dirty Hands (Clean Feed)
RED Trio + Nate Wooley: Stem (Clean Feed)
Who Trio: Less is More (Clean Feed)
Korekyojinn with Tsuboy Akihisa: Doldrums (Magaibutsu Limited)
Korekyojin: Tundra (Magaibutsu)
Acid Mothers Temple SWR & Umezu Kazutoki: Sax & The City (Magaibutsu)
Keiji / Makoto / Tatsuya: Ichi to Ichi ga Kasanatte Shimaumade [DVD] (Magaibutsu)
The: World Heritage Live At Goodman (Magaibutsu)
Acid Mothers Temple SWR: Yes, No & Perhaps (Magaibutsu)
Matthew Shipp Quartet Declared Enemy: Our Lady Of The Flowers (RogueArt)
Matthew: Shipp Un Piano (RogueArt)
Jeff' Albert Instigation Quartet: The Tree On The Mound (RogueArt)
Joshua Abrams Quartet: Unknown Known (RogueArt)
Rob Mazurek Exploding Star Orchestra Featuring Roscoe Mitchell: Matter Anti-Matter, Sixty-Three Moons Of Jupiter & Electronic Works [2 CDs] (RogueArt)
Roscoe Mitchell Trio: Angel City (RogueArt)
Matthew Shipp Trio: To Duke (RogueArt)
The Turbine! (Bankhead / Duboc / Drake / Lopez + guests): Entropy/Enthalpy [2 CDs] (RogueArt)
John: Zorn Pellucidar-A Dreamers Fantabula (Tzadik)
Les Rhinoceros: Les Rhinoceros III (Tzadik)
Steve Coleman & Five Elements: Functional Arrhythmias (Pi Recordings)
Darius Jones Trio: Big Gurl (Smell My Dream) (Aum Fidelity)
Steve Coleman and Five Elements: The Mancy of Sound (Pi Recordings)
Tyshawn Sorey Trio: Alloy (Pi Recordings)
Liberty: Ellman Ophiuchus Butterfly (Pi Recordings)
Art Ensemble of Chicago: [sirius calling] (Pi Recordings)
Liberty: Ellman Tactiles (Pi Recordings)
Art Ensemble of Chicago: Non-Cognitive Aspects of the City: Live at Iridium [2 CDs] (Pi Recordings)
Art Ensemble of Chicago: The Meeting (Pi Recordings)
Painkiller: Painkiller: The Complete Studio Recordings 1991-1994 (Tzadik)
David Smith / Bill Laswell / John Zorn: The Dream Membrane (Tzadik)
Thinking Plague: Decline and Fall (Cuneiform )
Rob Mazurek Octet: Skull Sessions (Cuneiform)
Marc Ribot : Asmodeus: Book of Angels Volume 7 (Tzadik)
John: Zorn Filmworks X: In the Mirror of Maya Deren (Tzadik)
Milford Graves / John Zorn: 50th Birthday Celebration Volume Two (Tzadik)
John: Zorn Duras/Duchamp (Tzadik)
Evan: Parker Time Lapse (Tzadik)
Tony: Oxley The Advocate (Tzadik)
Masada: 50th Birthday Celebration Volume Seven (Tzadik)
Smith / Ibarra / Zorn: 50th Birthday Celebration Volume Eight (Tzadik)
Marc: Ducret Le Sens de la Marche (Illusions)
Lazro / Zingaro / Leandre / Loves: Madly You (Potlatch)
Dennis Gonzalez Yells At Eels featuring Rodrigo Amado: The Great Bydgoszcz Concert (Ayler)
Jemeel Moondoc : Live At Glenn Miller Cafe Vol. 1 (Ayler Records)
Lars-Goran Ulander Trio: Live at Glenn Miller Café (Ayler Records)
Daunik Lazro : Some Other Zongs (Ayler)
Steve: Lacy 5xMonk 5xLacy (Silkheart)
David Ware Quartet S. : Oblations and Blessings (Silkheart)
Charles Brackeen Quartet,: Worshippers Come Nigh (Silkheart)
Ethnic Heritage Ensemble: 21st Century Union March (Silkheart)
Steve Lacy Sextet: The Gleam (Silkheart)
Other Dimensions in Music featuring Fay Victor: Kaiso Stories (Silkheart)
Rob Mazurek : Vortice of the Faun [CASSETTE with download code] (Astral Spirits)
SSBT (Chris Cogburn, Steve Jansen & Parham Daghighi): 247 Main [CASSETTE with download code] (Astral Spirits)
Mike: Majkowski Neighbouring Objects [CASSETTE with download code] (Astral Spirits)
ERikm & Fennesz: Complementary Contrasts Donaueschinger2003 (Hatology)
Tom Prehn Quartet: Axiom (Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Daunik Lazro / Benjamin Duboc / Didier Lasserre: Sens Radiants (Dark Tree Records)
Joe: McPhee Nation Time: The Complete Recordings [4 CD BOX] (Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Ken Vandermark and Mats Gustafsson: Verses (Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Joe: McPhee Variations on a Blue Line / 'Round Midnight (Corbett vs. Dempsey)
Bobby Bradford / John Carter Quintet: No U Turn, Live in Pasadena 1975 (Dark Tree Records)
Chuck Bettis : Pixel Bleed (Living Myth)
Chuck Bettis & Friends: Community Of Commotion (North East Indie)
Chuck: Bettis Sonic Sigils [CD EP] (Scarcelight)
Leif Elggren / Joachim Nordwall: Prepresence (Confront)
Taumatrop (Fages / Marquez): For John Ayrton Paris (Confront)
Matilda Rolfsson / Richard Sanderson / Mark Wastell: Live at l'Klectic (Confront)
Benjamin: Duboc St. James Infirmary (Improvising Beings)
Gene Janas / Vinnie Paternostro / Jay Reeve / Other Matter : United Slaves #2~3 (Improvising Beings)
Itapu Oki / Axel Dorner: Root Of Bohemian (Improvising Beings)
Lucien Johnson / Alan Silva / Makoto Sato: Stinging Netties (Improvising Beings)
Sharon: Sharrock No Is No (Don't Fuck Around With Your Women) (Improvising Beings)
Yoni Kretzmer / Andrew Drury: Oranges (OutNow Recordings)
Davidovski, EFT (Bukelman Bymel): Spatial Awareness (OutNow Recordings)
Joyfultalk: Muuixx (Drip Audio)
Tony Wilson 6tet: A Day's Life (Drip Audio)
Sandy Ewen / Damon Smith: Valle de Mexico (Confront)
Patrick: Shiroishi White Sun Sutra (Confront)
Jonathan McHugh & Mark Wastell: Hydriotaphia (Confront)
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